Road Ministry's NHIDCL to award first project for North-East in October

New Delhi: The newly constituted National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, which is mandated to develop 10,000 km of roads in the country with a special focus on North-East, will award the first highway project in Meghalaya this month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid special emphasis on the development of the north-eastern region. His government plans to focus on constructing National Highways and good roads in the region.

The government has also allocated Rs 3,000 crore in the Union Budget 2014-15 for improving highways and state roads in the region.

The focus of this company will be to develop roads and other infrastructure of highest standard in the country with focus on the north-eastern region and border areas, a Ministry official said.

The company is mandated to build 10,000 km of roads in the North-East (Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh) and Uttarakhand.

The official said that as many as five projects in Meghalaya are under various stages of development and one of the projects is likely to be awarded this month by National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

The financial bid for the up-gradation of 66 km long 2-lane stretches from Nongstoin to Domiasiat via Wahkaji has been received and the project is likely to be awarded this month, the official said.

The detailed project report (DPR) of three 2-laning projects in Meghalaya, totaling a length of over 240 km are ready and target of awarding these projects is December, 2014.

The DPR for the up-gradation of Nongstoin-Rambrai-Kyrshai road up to Meghalaya-Assam border, is in progress and this project is likely to be completed by the end of this year.